A Summary Report by Salty Times covering 30 Marine Debris Surveys of the

Ningaloo Coastline. 

NINGALOO MARINEDEBRIS REPORT

Marine Debris surveys have been conducted  along the Ningaloo Marine Park coastline from

the Southern boundary of Red Bluff to the Northern boundary of The Muiron Islands.

These surveys were completed by walking and surveying a recorded distance along the beach

at both the low tide and high tide lines. Any debris along either line was collected and

recorded in the various categories of the Tangaroa Blue Marine Debris Collection sheets. The

data has been submitted to the  Australian Marine Debris Initiative database.

30 Marine Debris Surveys totalling  31.9 km of the Ningaloo Marine Park coastline were

completed between 2016 and 2017 during a sailing expedition and a kayak expedition

allowing access to remote beaches along the coast.

What:

Why:

The aim of these marine debris surveys was to document quantities and types of debris, as

well as highlight any marine debris hotspots found along the Ningaloo Coast. This contributes

to a baseline dataset that has been added to the National Database for Marine Debris - The

Australian Marine Debris Initiative.

These cleanups and surveys were also done to clean up any debris found and to raise

awareness about the impacts of plastic and other debris in our oceans and on our beaches

through public outreach.

Report Contents

Red Bluff

Gnaraloo Bay

Farquhar

Coral Bay

Point Cloates

Yardie Creek

North West Cape

1234

56

78

91011

1213

141516

171819

202122

23

24

25

2627

28

29

30

Blue - 2016 SurveysWhite - 2017 Surveys

Where:

Warroora

What was found

Distances Surveyed

2017  - 24 789m

2016 - 7200m

Total: 31 989m

When?

2017  - May andJune

2016 - June and

September

# of Surveyors

All cleanups had

between 1 - 4 ppl

*Jane's Bay had 19

volunteers*

Thanks to Sea Shepherd 

Top 5 types of debris found

Jane's Bay - Southern facing bay 8686 pieces in 5500m 

A mix of hard plastic fragments and synthetic rope coming from ocean-based debris, (not

from beach users and campers). Historically documented as a natural wreck trap. The

Ningaloo current plays a roll in bringing debris into this bay. It is an observed location where

whalesharks and manta rays frequent due to upwelling and food availability.  Microplastic

surveys in 2016 found 13 pieces in 1 sqm.

Point Cloates North - Point, and Western facing beach.  Light plastics, plastics bags, and

industrial plastic sheets deposited on this beach. Many light plastics buried in the sand. This

debris is being deposited from the ocean and not coming from campers or beach users.

Gnaraloo Bay -  North Facing Bay. presence of fishermen and launching site for boats. Half of

the debris appeared to be ocean-based debris and the other half from beach users and

campers nearby.

3 Marine Debris Hotspots 

Plastic pieces

hard and solid - 1614 pcs

Rope & net scraps 3103 pcs

 less than 1 metre (Nylon)

Plastic film remnants

(bits of plastic bag, wrap) - 3269 pcs

Foam insulation &

packaging  - 212 pcs

Rope Length in m - 228 m

- Much of the Ningaloo coast has limited marine debris coming in from the ocean.  The

Ningaloo coast has many clean beaches with very little debris. It is possible that the

reef protects many of the beaches and currents sweep the marine debris into a few

isolated places along the coast which we have identified as hot spots.

- In areas with high usage such as camping, boating, fishing and beach activities there is

considerably more debris found on the beach and in adjacent car parks. People

disposing of rubbish incorrectly poses a threat to the marine life along the Ningaloo

Reef.

- The location with the highest volume of marine debris along the Ningaloo Coast was

identified at Jane's Bay on Ningaloo Station. From two annual surveys in this area, it is

clear that the debris found on the beach is not coming from land, but is being washed

from the ocean. Debris that had labels of Indonesian origin, as well as Australian

packaging, was found. Commercial fishing debris was another source of debris. Many

items were broken down and degraded and could not be identified due to their exposure

to the sun and ocean (see Future Actions).

Observations

- Resurvey Marine Debris Hot Spots - to collect further data on hot spots along the

coast such as Jane's Bay and Point Cloates.  In water Manta Trawl surveys in this

area would also provide valuable information about quantities of microplastics in the

water

- Parts of the coast with high usage by campers, boaters, fishermen and beach

users are where future debris surveys and cleanups would most be beneficial.

 Having rubbish bins and signage in this areas will help to minimize debris left behind.

- The road from Exmouth to Yardie Creek and the Road from Coral Bay to Exmouth is

another area where debris cleanups are needed due to visible quantities from the

road, which can then blow into the ocean.

-  The breeding seasons of beach-nesting birds and turtles needs to be taken into

consideration if conducting marine debris cleanups along the Ningaloo Coast. This is

something we were aware of and took steps to minimize our impact at all times.

- A report from the three coastal stations in the southern section of Ningaloo is

being compiled after surveying the waste management practices at each station.

Future Actions

A Focus on Solutions

A Plastic Waste Solution Centre -Turning Plastic into Precious Items.

A waste reduction education space where you can see mico recycling on site, take workshops

on plastic-free living and find out all the tips and tricks to living with less waste.

A center to raise awareness, foster collaboration, and reduce waste going to landfill and into our

environment. Modeled after the global movement started by Dave Hakkens -

www.preciousplastic.com 

Follow The Salty Blue Creation Station for Ningaloo on Facebook to stay updated on the

project's progress.

Educate

Refuse

Reduce

Reuse 

Recycle

The Salty Blue Creation Station for Ningaloo

Community-directed education on alternatives to single-use plastic

is one of the most effective ways to reduce the consumption of

single-use plastics.

Salty Times in collaboration with the Cape Conservation Group of

Exmouth are organizing 'The Salty Blue Creation Station for Ningaloo'

which is  a ‘Precious Plastic’ Micro Recycling and Waste Reduction

Education Space.

The mission of  'The Creation Station' is to educate community

members about low waste living. To communicate this education and

attract people to learning about a topic like waste is the concept of

'Precious Plastic' being used as a tool to start conversations about

waste reduction.

    Who We Are:

Saltytimes is run by a husband and wife team – Jamie and Base Van Jones.

Jamie and Base are sailors, surfers, divers and above all ocean conservationists. They believe we need to give

back to the ocean for all we receive from it. The days of glassy pumping surf, perfect anchorages and diving in

amongst beautiful corals are all the gifts received from being in, on or near the ocean. To give back to our oceans

Saltytimes takes on projects to aid in Ocean health and raise awareness about the state of our oceans through

projects that incorporate ocean adventures and exploration.

Jamie and Base work as expedition guides around the world and through this role Jamie lectures on marine

debris and plastic pollution providing up to date statistics and information as well as focusing in on the solutions

to this global problem. Base is a geologist and commercial Yachtmaster, he lectures on geology and coastal

processes. 

In 2016 Base and Jamie sailed over 2500kms up and back down the Western Australian Coast from Fremantle

up to the North West, to the islands off of Karratha. During this trip, Saltytimes anchored themselves along the

Ningaloo Reef and Exmouth Gulf for 3.5 months. Over the course of their 8.5 months of sailing the West

Australian Coast, the couple completed and recorded 45 beach marine debris surveys including microplastic

surveys. While there were many beautiful clean beaches along the Ningaloo Marine Reserve, there were also

some surprising marine debris hotspots identified - See the Salty Times Report on Marine Debris Observations

for the West Australian coast - www.saltytimes.com/citizen-science

All data has been recorded and is available on www.saltytimes.com but also in the Australia Marine Debris

Initiative Database through Tangaroa Blue.

In 2017 Jamie and Base decided to do more to learn about, explore and protect the Ningaloo Reef,  the did this

by kayak sailing the 280km of the Ningaloo Marine Reserve in a project called A Salty Voyage – Ningaloo Reef.

Along this voyage, Jamie and Base sought to answer the question 'How healthy and resilient the Ningaloo Reef

Ecosystem is?' and the question of 'What can we do to help protect Ningaloo?'. During this intimate exploration

of Ningaloo Reef, they surveyed 25 remote beaches for marine debris and recorded the data they found as well

as surveying the reef and doing Reef Health Checks. They are currently making a film to document this journey.

Salty Times is now focusing on solutions to the Plastic Pollution issue in Exmouth and around the Ningaloo Reef

by implementing a Precious Plastic Project in the community of Exmouth.

This Report is Self-funded Citizen Science and is brought to you by :

For Further information:

www.saltytimes.com

baseandjamie@saltytimes.com

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